- Texas
Texas Aggies Making Changes (TAMC) will release the first 20
bicycles of the "Borrow-A-Bike" program for student
use today from 9 to 11 a.m at Rudder Fountain.
- The bicycles are painted yellow and have a decal on the frame
to identify it as part of the Borrow-A-Bike program. When the
system us fully implemented, the bicycles will be available at
various campus locations. Borrowers should leave them in a bike
rack outside the building for the next person to use.
- Tida Pichakron, director of the Borrow-A-Bike program and
a sophomore business analysis major, said the program has been
in development for three years.
- "Cass Burton brought the idea of community bikes to
the Student Senate," Pichakron said. "It was passed
by the senate and they passed it to TAMC to finish."
- Joey Neugart, a sophomore political science major, said Burton
researched the program, which has been implemented in other communities
around the United States.
- "This program has been tried in places like Portland,
Denver, St. Paul and Boulder," Neugart said. "It was
successful in all of those locations. Although they didn't have
the means to keep track of how many were stolen, enough were
used around the community to consider the programs a success."
- Some of the bicycles being used have been donated by Parking,
Traffic and Transportation Services (PTTS). Every summer, PTTS
confiscates abandoned bicycles on campus to auction in September.
- Neugart said PTTS's help was an integral part of the implementation
of "Borrow-A-Bike."
- "The program wouldn't have happened without the help
of PTTS," Neugart said. "They let us have the bikes
we are using, a place to keep them and the facility to maintain
them. TAMC did the work for this program, but PTTS made it possible."
- More bicycles will be made available later this semester.
Pichakron said maintenance problems will be reported to a phone
number located on the decal, and representatives will locate
the bicycle to repair it.
- Pichakron said theft is a concern for TAMC.
- "According to the UPD, these bikes are University property
and would be treated as a University offense if someone was found
trying to steal one," Pichakron said. "The bikes are
supposed to stay on campus."
- Neugart said earlier last semester a small number of yellow
bicycles were accidentally released and vandalized, but they
were not a part of the current Borrow-A-Bike program.
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